08152019

While I am not one to travel for less than five days, I found myself saying yes to an unusual invitation from a former classmate.

We used to sit in the same class on my last semester in college. In that class, I was almost always late because I had to run from the gym (I had table tennis for PE) to my home college. My normal attire then was my UP PE shirt and the volleyball jersey shorts given to me by a highschool friend, and rubber shoes. Since I was usually the last one to enter the classroom, I had the special seat reserved for me, that seat which students would not dare take because it is the one nearest to the professor's table. Good thing I had no qualms about it and have never been intimidated even by terror professors. In fact, most of my classmates admired me for my ability to approach even the most feared of professors and to ask uncomfortable questions. So anyway, those times, that former classmate and I never spoke to each other. Just plain hi or hello. He was always seated between his two friends, one was friendly towards me, the other was a noisy guy in class. I remember being amused with those three because they seldom did homework and yet they endeared themselves to our professors by means of class participation and jokes.

This former classmate and I became Facebook friends but we never had any meaningful interactions save for a few likes of posts or photos, and at one time, he invited me to his house to celebrate his birthday but I wasn't able to attend. In fact, I had no plans of attending because I was afraid of being out of place since I am not like people my age who drink and party a lot. Also because back when we were classmates, I had a little crush on him and I stay away from my crushes because I saw crushes as threats to my peace.

So it came as a big surprise when a week after his birthday, he chatted me up on Facebook and asked if I was in Manila. Friends ask this same question whenever they want to meet and so they check first if I'm even in the metro. I don't know what spirit possessed me at that time or maybe it was out of reflex, I replied "yeah, wanna meet up?" And we agreed to have dinner near my workplace. I was able to keep myself calm upon seeing him. He used to be my crush and whenever I saw him in class I couldn't help but think that he must be a very nice person and a shy one at that. When I first saw him that time at the mall, I was surprised to find his size more than doubled. But he looked way more approachable now compared to the slimmer him. He used to resemble the Korean version of Domyouji (played by Lee Min Ho) and I happen to like guys with curly/ wavy hair, makes them look so hot and sexy. Later on, I thought to myself, maybe if he was still the same size when I first met him, I wouldn't have agreed to go out because he would seem like a threat to my peace, and that is the last thing I wanted after having just moved on successfully.

His pick: YAYOI. Awesome Japanese food. It's easy to see that I am a consumer of Japanese culture and cuisine.

It was a simple catch up. I was a bit nervous because I really knew nothing about him except that he travels way more often compared to me. So I had to make sure to stick to safe topics and he also made me feel at ease. He talked about his family and I was surprised at how he seems to be comfortable talking about his childhood trauma to me, a mere classmate who hasn't seen him in almost a decade. I could very well relate since my family is pretty toxic, also. But at least I had my yaya who was my source of comfort in this cold dark world. I told him about my potted plants and how I would love to own a piece of land just so I can have my own vegetable garden.

My sister and I had agreed to go home together and when she got tired of shopping, which is unusual BTW, she texted me asking when are we going to finish. So we had to part ways and I even forgot his name when I introduced him to my sister. (It was super embarrassing but nothing can compare to  what happened late last year when I went out with a guy whose family is friends with my brother's fiancée. We had lots to talk about because we both travel a lot and after getting dinner and some ice cream, we exchanged numbers only to find out we both forgot each other's names! How awkward and stupid was that! I still laugh when ever I tell that story to my friends.) So J mumbled his complete name which is rather long and I find it cute and I really didn't comprehend half of it but I suddenly remembered his nickname! My sister asked me again his full name when we were headed to the van terminal and I just said, I forgot. Shucks.

So anyway, I didn't want to give it much thought except I am happy that someone from my past without much connection to me reached out and went out with me. It felt like my reconnection project after finishing my post-graduate diploma studies. Weeks after, I invited him to watch movies at a film festival but he declined due to an emergency. We lost contact for a while and out of nowhere he messaged me and asked me to travel with him just because he found me one very cool person. (Spending New Year's Eve with him up until daybreak of 2020, I remembered to ask him what he meant by "cool" then and he said that I was fun to be with. The same comment I get from my male friends who just want to hang out but never did try to pursue me romantically.) So in October of 2019, we went to Albay together with my roommate in Penang, a girl whom I eventually regretted bringing with us because she was overly dependent on us and cared only about herself. We stayed in his house the night before our early morning flight and he cooked fish curry for us. He used pampano and it was really good, except I would have preferred a spicy version. That was the first time I saw how cool J was. And he became an even cooler person in my eyes because he never complained even when we stayed in a non-AC room, even when in Rapu-Rapu Island we never did any of the touristy stuff and had simple meals in the local carinderia. We swam in what the locals call "Look" which is a bay facing the open sea. It was pretty safe, not much waves. I saw how strong he is when we hiked to the waterfalls and back. I wanted to hug him if only because he reminds me of my favorite panda Po, as he tried to keep up with us. In order to make the hike a bit entertaining and less tiresome, I played sweeper so I could keep an eye on him in case something happens and sang animé songs like my favorite Fields of Hope. The objective was to lighten up the atmosphere because I was thinking maybe he didn't like all the strenuous activity. I was surprised he knew the song! And I think I began to like him when we did some karaoke with the locals and it turned out that he is karaoke king! WOW! I once told myself, I wanted to be with someone musically inclined and who knows how to cook. Maybe he is sent by the heavens to me.

I finally got to see the majestic almost perfect cone of Mt. Mayon, pride of Bicol.

Never mind that he didn't greet me on my birthday. Never mind that he still hasn't handed to me the dried fish he bought in Seoul in September as of this writing. But when I was asking around who'd love to go with me to a concert where Ben&Ben would be performing, he was the only one who said yes. We had early dinner at High Grounds in Timog area. He said he used to play computer games there. The café has really cool fusion food. He planned to treat me but I was almost 30 minutes late so I volunteered to pay the bill. I´m so happy to find someone who´s super passionate about music and who can understand me whenever I talk about why I love this kind of music and why not that kind of music. We shared a cup of DQ ice cream during the concert and after that, went for some milk tea, my first time to taste Macao Imperial. Then we headed to a cool karaoke place where the mic seems to beautify everything. We did 2 hours and he dropped me off at our village gate at 3AM, the latest I went home to since we moved to the north. Before arriving home, I managed to ask him if he has plans of settling down and he said, if given the chance, why not.

The sunset as viewed from our simple room in Rapu-Rapu Island

The next few days saw us becoming closer in chats. I was starting to feel at ease with this guy who´s just so talented and so kind I cried a couple of times whenever I remember stories of his exes. Of course everything was from his POV but then imagining the abuses he´s had suffered from different people, my heart hurt for him and I cried. Why do people hurt good people and love bad people? Everytime we're together and remember all the pain he's been through, I wanted to hug him and protect his happiness, seeing that he is a very nice person although he has numerous flaws of his own. I was thinking what if years back I had been bold enough to be friendly with him, what if I attended his birthday party in 2013, what if I confessed to him back then? On second thought, looking back, me during my undergraduate years is an angry girl and I might not be able to give him the love and care he deserved.

Bicol's famous chili ice cream at 1st Colonial (NAIA T3): I had the spiciest one. He had the less spicy version. 

I invited him to jog around UP but we ended up walking and going on a mini food trip. That was fine. I actually foresaw that already. We talked more about relationships, his past mistakes which he regrets so much. I asked how his brother is doing after a sudden breakup with his fiancée. Out of the blue, he said that marriage is just something society expects from us and all the postmodern stuff. It made me sad, because it seemed like suddenly he changed his mind about marriage. While right now I am still ambivalent about marriage, I am pretty sure I'd want to have children of my own, although at times I fear that bringing them into this world might be a bad idea because of the chaos and the prevalence of heartless, robotic humans. At this point I was surprised to learn that he wrote a children's book. We talked about poetry and songs and how he likes Sylvia Plath and postmodern stuff and I said I like Romantic ones like Wordsworth, Blake, Becquer and that I care about the form and structure of the poem as much as I care about the message.

We didn't see each for days and on the 31st, I picked up the courage to ask him if he's free to hang out. At that time, I have noticed that I was always the one who's taking the initiative to ask him out and to plan activities together and I was kind of thinking that maybe he is just being polite when he tells me he enjoys being with me. He never asked me out except for the trip that we planned together. So I was thinking maybe this time he will decline because NYE is kind of special and if he declines, that will be the last time I will be proactive. He was more than happy to see me but he asked to meet up after their family dinner, which is understandable. As for me, I panicked when I later on realized that establishments close very early. I asked him if he wanted to postpone to a later date instead because we didn't have anywhere to hang out in and he asked his friends around and one couple agreed to take us in. So he picked me up and together we spent NYE and first hours of 2020 together. It made me feel special but I do not want to assume anything since he never said he liked me. Everything just happened so fast and I just want to relax and see how it goes.

Rockies at Norzagaray, Bulacan

A week after my ten-day Mindoro trip, my first trip by plane this year, I joined the climb to the Rockies in Norzagaray. The two rock formations in the shape of a lioness and of a rhinoceros are becoming more and more popular these days thanks to the social media. I stumbled upon a post by an old climbing buddy late last year and saw that he climbed the Rockies without inviting me. (#bitter though I wouldn't have joined even if he sent me an invitation because I already planned to go to Bicol with a travel buddy, only to end up in Pangasinan and Ilocos.)

before the rock assaults: I chose to be sweeper just to take a photo of this!

awesome view of rocks

Because I got to the meeting place right on time at 4AM, I sorely lacked sleep and was sleeping every time we were in transit. I was frustrated to find that there still are irresponsible and inconsiderate people who join events like this and yet fail to show up on time. We left our meeting place at 5AM and we missed the sunrise because of those annoying people. Probably newbies who do not care nor know the ethics to mountain climbing. Were I the organizer, I would have gone on without them.

the lioness overlooking Norzagaray

small but smelly flower with unpleasant smell

One can finish the climb in less than an hour, but due to the time spent in taking photo after photo, we got down at past 12PM, had lunch and then napped until 1:30PM. The challenging part in climbing the lioness and the rhino is that one really has to be a good rock climber. In fact, being a hiker is of not much use. Every step of the way, I was wondering if I could make it alive. Being acrophobic was no help at all.

the rhino

Abrus precatorius: bead-like seeds which are actually toxic...

buwis-buhay moment as we climbed down the rhino

for ID, anyone?

Part 2 of the trip was spent in Pinagrealan Cave, a historic site for being the encampment site of the revolutionaries led by Sinfrosio dela Cruz against the Spaniards toward the end of the 19th century. Emilio Aguinaldo and Pio del Pilar also lived here. Now more than ever, I want to visit Mt. Manalmon, see Biak-na-Bato, and go caving there. Such trips kill two birds with one stone since I travel for history and also for nature.

our tour guide in Pinagrealan Cave

At some parts of the cave, one has to go through knee-deep and neck-deep waters. The first foray into the waters was not pleasant given the smell and water's dark color. The second was refreshingly cool and clear, perfect for a bath but then one passes by the smelly waters again on the way back. My legs got itchy soon afterwards so I had to take a quick bath lest I develop more skin problems.

co-participant removes his shoes before wading into the waters

Before I went home, I stopped by Fshermall and looked for a place to eat. Dimsum Place has just opened and was offering discounts for their dimsum so I grabbed the chance to have a taste of their xiaolongbao. As in other restos, they have carrot slices at the bottom to support the bun. There's soup in it alright but it's not as tasty as I hoped them to be. I so miss Shi Lin's xiaolongbao at this point. Another thing, I find it weird whenever I dine in Chinese restos without free hot tea. It just disappoints.

xiaolongbao at Dimsum Place, Fishermall (P90)

九龍城寨 (Kowloon Walled City Park)

While doing a last minute research the night before I left for HK, the Kowloon Walled City Park was put in my priority list. I love parks, more so parks with ruins.

the preserved ruins inside the Walled City

The park is located in New Territories and it used to be a military fort. First constructed in 1847, the place was meant as a defense fortress cum accommodation for civil and military personnel. During the Tai Ping Rebellion in mid 19th century, the walled city was invaded by the rebels. The military officials were forced to evacuate the area. After World War 2, the walled city started to gain its notorious reputation as a dark sin city, becoming a big drug den where illegal activities abound from prostitution to unlicensed medical practitioners. As such, crimes were more than frequent.

Interestingly many people lived normal lives in that enclave with no sewage system and water supply was scarce. Eventually the Chinese and British government decided to demolish the tall buildings that mushroomed there and to relocate the people in order to transform the whole area into a public park.

broken stone tablet with the words 九龍城寨 (Kowloon Walled City)

small falls inside

fragrant juniper trees lining the paved path

restored structure

pagoda where people nowadays practice tai chi and do exercises

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I wish the Manila government would also do something for Tondo, Manila. While the area is not enclosed like the early Kowloon Walled City, the parallelisms lie in that both are infamous for illegal things and for the anarchic (in the widely popular sense of the term, and definitely not the original noble definition it has). We can learn a lot from how the Chinese and British managed the evacuation and relocation of the original residents. It will take greater political will to do so and only a true government, something that really cares for its people, can do this. Unfortunately we all know that government officials are nothing but greedy pigs who seek office to pocket the people's money. Sigh.

Korean Airlines

For someone who's used to travelling on a budget, I cringe whenever I hear about expensive plane tickets when budget carriers are already in existence which allow even ordinary (and poor, like me) people to realize their dreams of travelling to different parts of the world. That has been one big on-going project of mine and I'm taking baby steps towards realizing it. Hopefully I get to travel to at least one new country each year. For the love of travel and of knowing new things, God knows how hard I work! But it would be even greater if I could have someone to sponsor my trips. LOL

Who would have thought that this year I would have the chance to get inside a more posh aircraft aside from that of Cebu Pacific. This year I had second thoughts about joining a tour in Korea because for one, tours do not allow one to really engage in a place in a meaningful way. All one does is hop inside the tour bus, go down, have your pics taken, go home and post pics on FB but there is no real depth to that experience. It is shallow, uninteresting, and definitely not for me who am fond of walking long distances.

Despite that, I said yes. Not out of love for my father whom I think would need my assistance since the last time he went on a trip with his friends he was sent to the hospital. I'm not the world's most dutiful daughter. My reason is more on the selfish side, this is an opportunity to go to Korea. If I were to wait for my friends to I wonder at what age I will be able to go there. At least the tour would be like a survey for me, if I liked the place, if there are places worthy of visit (i.e. Museums, historical places, big temples), then I'd definitely go back. I'm pretty sure there are many historical places like palaces and these are quite popular in their historical dramas.

Very roomy interiors with 9 seats per row instead of the usual 6

Entertainment consisting of music, movies, books, and even games

I had chicken instead of beef bibimbap but used my dad's leftover chili paste

Anyway, the plane craft was really nice. It was the first time I got inside a big one so pardon my post about it. I was awed at how they took into consideration a passenger's need to kill time with their all in one console. They even had classical music!

Excited, I opted to watch a Spanish comedy film entitled Ochos apellidos. It is about a man from Seville who fell in love with a girl from the Basque region. They met in Seville and after a one night stand, the man pursued the girl all the way to the Basque and pretended to be of that region. He had to to get the girl since the Basque is a fiercely separatist region. It's witty and funny and I honestly enjoyed it because of many comedic elements although I'm not really into romcoms. I guess I'm more interested in knowing more about the culture of the Basque region more than anything else. 

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This is the first time I blogged while away on a trip. Will have to do this more often to prevent backlogs. 

MUNI Biyaheng Lokal Quiz Night 04112014

In my student days, I was an avid fan of quizbees. It all started in grade school when I was suddenly selected to participate in Battle of the Brains and after winning we were rewarded with a cash prize. It opened me to the idea of winning money through general trivia and putting to good use my knowledge of many facts gained from reading the encyclopedia and fiction.

Last night was the first time in many years that I joined again a quizbee. This time, it's all about travel since I've taken up the hobby two years ago after quitting school and gaining a full time job. Since I travel to know more about the culture, history, and the health of environment of the places I visit and since I also consider myself an environmentalist, I wanted to take this opportunity to get to know like-minded people who care about social enterprise, free trade, responsible travel, and sustainable tourism. Another goal is to win awesome prizes, too, since according to their Facebook fan page, tour package prizes are also up for grabs. Now this is perfect since I'm itching to travel soon but my financial situation hasn't improved yet.

And I'm more than happy to have attended the event last night. Never mind that the venue was in Katipunan (friends know I hate going there because it's hard to commute), all I thought about was perhaps there's something I could learn by just being there. Indeed, I discovered there are very active groups out there which have been on the move to make this country a better place. I was like, WOW! More than inspired, I'm dared to move!

see that? My name tag says "A1"... coz I was the very first one to arrive at the scene (I was that excited!)

The event was not possible without the following generous sponsors:
Route +63
Trail adventours
TriboCo. Kultura Kamp
Brownman Surf
Culture Shock PH
Lagu
Gouache
TALA LUNA
Moonleaf Tea Shop
RuMe Philippines
Kawil Tours (The Culion-Coron Palawan Expeditions)
Brown Belly
Jertie's Kitchen and Brown Sugar Pastries

But of course, thanks to MUNI PH for organizing this wonderful event. Hoping for more to come.

Shanghai 0404072013

A few days before our flight to Shanghai, news of a new bird flu outbreak caused a stir even here in the Philippines. My parents told me to postpone my trip with my highschool friends, but I told them we'd be just fine. For their peace of mind, I swore not to eat fowl meat (though it doesn't really contribute to contracting the flu). I also told them I'd be putting on face mask at all times (though when we got to Shanghai it felt weird so I didn't use it much). The stubborn me insisted that we have already paid for our plane fares and it would hurt if we didn't get to consume our flights. I also added that this would be risk I would be willing to take for the sake of travel. (Honestly though, the thought of my almost P4000 going down the drain scared me more.)

Not expecting cold weather, I packed mostly t-shirts and jeans, with only a coat to keep me warm. Bad decision indeed since our bodies were too accustomed then to Manila's summer heat to withstand the sudden cold of China. When we got out of the plane and stepped int the airport, I could immediately feel the chill. Later on, I was already shivering, and thoughts of spending my vacation in the hospital scared the wits out of me. Oh no, I just couldn't afford to be sick at that time when I was supposed to be seeing new places and eating Shanghai cuisine. Fortune smiled on me and I survived the night. We had a few hours' sleep on the benches in the airport.

Come morning of the 5th of April, we had quick breakfast at KFC in the airport. I had chicken congee (8.50 CNY) forgetting my promise to my parents. I just couldn't resist. Chicken soup is just the thing when cold. We bought our three-day unlimited subway pass for 45 CNY and boarded the first-hour train.

On our first day (April 5) we went to Century Park, Shanghai Museum, and The Bund. I had a heavy lunch of porkchop plus 3 veggie dishes and rice for only 11CNY. And boy was I happy with what I was served! The eatery is located near Jinjiang Pudong Inn where we stayed for two nights for this trip. For dinner, I had hot and sour beef noodles (still couldn't get over Vietnam's pho) for 15 CNY which lives up to its name making me a happy diner. It's a good thing, too, that I bought green tea yoghurt drink (8 CNY) when we got out of Shanghai Museum. I used the sweet and sour and cold of the drink to temper the hot and spicy noodles.The noodles were a little pricey because the shop is in a tourist spot. It's located near the People's Plaza.

On April 6, we had breakfast at a small dumplings shop on the way to the Subway. We walked far from the hotel, refusing to take a taxi or the bus to save on fares. Besides, we had to take advantage of our unlimited pass. We had hot 千里香 (Qianlixiang) wanton (6 CNY/ 20pcs) and seaweeds wanton (10 CNY/ 10 pcs). Both were served in soup, which was good seeing the rain wouldn't let up any minute. I also bought rice hash brown (1.50 CNY) sold in the streets. The day before, when we were checking in at the hotel, I saw a man eating that and I almost interviewed him had my friends not interfered. (I just wanted to ask where he bought the hash brown). Anyway, that fried thing was a nice treat. Crispy outside and a bit soft inside. Yum! It's best eaten hot. Otherwise, you'll see much of the oil.

Yuyuan

Our second day was spent walking and viewing the posh buildings of 新天地 (Xintiandi). Later on I thought we should have skipped this since the area is known to be a shopping district and expensive items are sold there and we were just a bunch of poor kids. After that, we went to 豫園 (Yuyuan) where we went shopping for food items for our loved ones back home. A visit to the famed Kobayashi which produces wonderfully fried cookies, is a must. We shopped at Cheap Road, so called for the cheap items being sold there. After a quick lunch of 金包銀 (some sort of dumplings which can get addicting) and小籠包 (xiaolongbao), we headed to Shanghai Railway Station. This time, to meet V's goal of buying her wig, which according to her is near the railway station. Unfortunately, the place was too big and we have circled the area but found no wig store. Utterly defeated, we proceed to Jade Temple for a bit of spiritual guidance.

Shanghai Railway Station

After Jade Temple, we went to  陸家嘴 (Lujiazui) to see the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. We didn't get inside though because of the expensive entrance fee. Still we appreciated very much the wonderful dragons in the middle of the road and the distinct tower towering above others.

Oriental Pearl TV Tower at dusk

Our last day in Shanghai was spent touring three more places: 七寶 (Qibao town), 龍華寺 (Longhua Temple), and the Jewish Refugees Museum. I had the most fun in the ancient town of Qibao, I felt like a wandering samurai walking on the streets and savoring the festive atmosphere there. There just were too many people, perhaps because it was s Sunday.

Qibao on a Sunday

When it was time to say goodbye, I felt sad. Not only will I miss the dimsums and the architectural beauties, I will also miss the jokes told to me by the Chinese people, the stories, everything. I just love how I made them laugh and how they made me laugh in return. It's different from the Shanghai experience I was expecting.

Exchange rate: 1 CNY= 6.60 PHP

More blog posts about my Shanghai trip to follow and will link to this post. :)

Chao Yang Chinese Cuisine (HK) 02162013

On our last night in Hong Kong, we had dinner at Chao Yang Chinese Cuisine, a rather posh restaurant in iSQUARE. The shopping mall is located at Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. The location is perfect, as my last solo tour was just around the area, after having gone to Shau Kei Wan. The restaurant was almost packed  when we arrived there at around 7PM.

Truth be told though, I prefer the simple food we ate at Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei. For some reason, I don't like the stiff and formal look of food in fancy restaurants. Food easily gets cold, and there's the absence of steamy dishes served in front of you.

To be fair though, I enjoyed the evening dinner, but more so the beautiful views outside the glass walls. There's always a feeling of nostalgia after seeing a manifestation of beauty and what's left is a blurred representation in the mind. And as we were nearing the end of the dinner, I cast one last long look outside and tried to imagine the view in my mind, eyes closed. I am afraid that the brightly colored lights would fade in memory. Happy times are fleeting, and so are memories.

Shau Kei Wan ( 筲箕灣), Hong Kong 02162013

The third day of our Hong Kong trip saw me and my relatives splitting up again into three groups with me going solo. My plans for the day include going on a heritage trail in Yuen Long in New Territories then going southeast in Shau Kei Wan just to glimpse the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. Commuting was not a worry since the trains are fast and very efficient, unlike the Philippine MRT and LRT system where people are packed like sardines. However, due to my late departure from the hotel at 11am, I dropped Yuen Long and promised to myself that I will explore the whole New Territories some other time.

Shau Kei Wan is described as a haven for ships in olden times, being a coastal area whose population grew in 18th century when fishermen discovered the place. It is no wonder that Shau Kei Wan has small temples dedicated to fisherfolk deities like Tin Hau and Tam Kung. There is also a Western church named Tsung Tsin Church which was built in 1862. Aside from these, shipyards and a fish market can also be found in Shau Kei Wan. But the most interesting part, and also one of the highlights of my Hong Kong trip, is the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence.

I started with Shing Wong Temple, the nearest to the MTR Shau Kei Wan Station Exit C, where I burned incense as a sign of respect, while admiring the big coils of incense hanging on the ceilings. The Shau Kei Wan tram passes by this temple. (And yes, I was ecstatic to find a monorail here.)

Shau Kei Wan tram. Notice a McDonald's restaurant in the area.

Shing Wong Temple

Next is Tin Hau Temple, which is dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. The roofs have intricate designs composed of dragons and deities as well as murals which give the temple a magnificent aura despite its small size.

Entrance to Tin Hau Temple

Tsung Tsin Church was next on the itinerary and I almost missed it because one has to go inside an alley which slopes upward. I found the edifice under renovation, which is sad.

Tsung Tsin Church at the right, beside a school.

After Tsung Tsin Church, I walked along Shau Kei Wan Main Street East and found this small altar on the sidewalk. The god on the leftmost is unmistakably a fortune god. People obviously pray here as evidenced by the presence of incense sticks.

Straight ahead is Yuk Wong Temple which was originally a shrine. People pray here to solve flooding problems. The temple is small and simple, being made of cemented blocks with very simple designs that one can easily miss it.

Next up is the museum in Lei Yue Mun Fort. The museum holds a permanent exhibit of military memorabilia from the Ming and Qing periods, a must-see for every military history fan as batteries, cannons, tanks, and other articles of war are preserved in this 34,200 meters squared establishment. And all that for only HKD 10 which is already cheap given the many things one will see and learn in this establishment. One's feet will ache from all the walking but will be handsomely rewarded with beautiful views and cool refreshing winds. A very short film can also be viewed in the small theater. It explains the different weapons and provides a lecture of historical tidbits. Aside from the exhibitions inside, visitors are free to roam around the vicinity to check out ruined structures and armaments.

 On the day of my visit, the museum had a temporary exhibit on the Wartime Japanese Propaganda Publications which began last year on July 20 and will end this year on March 27. The exhibit showcases the propaganda used to justify Japanese imperialism, with media reports distorting the ugly truths of the war while Japan is suffering from social and economic crises brought about by World War I.

entrance to the museum grounds

entrance to the museum itself

The staff here are friendly and are chatty. In fact, I conversed with the shopkeeper who suggested many things to me. I bought two books and he was surprised when I told him I came from the Philippines. There's always a nice feeling when you talk to strangers, you seem so strong, so suddenly unafraid of the world full of strangers.

The last one on my list is Tam Kung Temple which I visited after spending more than 2 hours at the museum. Tam Kung is the patron of fishermen and is also believed to control the weather and to heal the sick. He is said to have become an immortal at the age of 20.

Because I have to go back to the hotel early to meet up with mom and relatives for dinner and I finished touring around Shau Kei Wan at 3pm, I decided to go back to Tsim Sha Tsui and continued my exploration in the area.